Number of startups rises in 10 of 12 Dutch provinces as closures and bankruptcies fall
The number of new businesses in the Netherlands rose 4.8 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from the same period a year earlier, while the number of businesses that stopped operating fell 9.2 percent and bankruptcies declined 12.8 percent, according to a KVK trend report released Thursday. Startup numbers increased in 10 of the country's 12 provinces, with Groningen and Drenthe recording the strongest growth.
There were 813 business bankruptcies in the second quarter, down from 932 a year earlier. As of June 30, more than 2.6 million business locations were registered in the KVK Commercial Register.
The number of startups also increased in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. In almost every province, the number of startups per 10,000 residents was higher than a year earlier. Groningen recorded the strongest growth, at 14 percent, followed by Drenthe at 12 percent. Startup numbers fell by 2 percent in both Zeeland and Noord-Brabant.
Erik Stam, a professor at Utrecht University, said the increase in startups is becoming more widespread across the Netherlands.
“Notably, the growth in the number of startups is spreading across the entire Netherlands. There is particularly strong growth in the northeast, especially in sectors such as ICT, specialized business services, construction, and education. Groningen is developing into a new economic engine in this regard,” Stam said.
Noord-Holland again had the highest number of startups relative to its population, with 43 startups per 10,000 residents. Zuid-Holland and Flevoland each had 35 per 10,000 residents. Drenthe had the lowest rate, with 23 startups per 10,000 residents.
Measured by the total number of startups, 24 percent were in Zuid-Holland and 23 percent in Noord-Holland. Overall, 79 percent of startups were self-employed workers.
The number of businesses that stopped operating fell 9.2 percent compared with the second quarter of 2025, continuing the decline recorded in the first quarter of 2026. Every province had fewer business closures per 10,000 residents than a year earlier.
The largest declines were recorded in Flevoland, at 17 percent, and Drenthe, at 15 percent. Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland had the highest total numbers of business closures, as they have in previous quarters. Noord-Holland also had the highest number of closures per 10,000 residents, while Drenthe had the lowest.
The largest share of startups was in specialized business services, at 17 percent, followed by trade at 14 percent and construction at 11 percent. Trade continued to account for a large number of new businesses, although the number of startups in the sector fell from a year earlier.
